St. Paul man charged with fatally kicking man in the head

A St. Paul man has been charged with fatally kicking another man in the head, according to a charge filed Wednesday in Ramsey County District Court.

Peter L. John, 50, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Joseph M. Saros, 43, early Tuesday on St. Paul’s East Side.

According to the complaint: John and two other men were drinking vodka in the 700 block of E. 3rd Street when Saros arrived. One of the men told police that Saros told John and the other man, “Johnny Buck,” that he had had sex with their mothers and was going to have sex with their sisters.

The witness said John assaulted Saros, who fell to the ground and appeared to be knocked out. “Johnny Buck” then joined the assault.

The witness said they were “kicking his head like a football.”

“They kept kicking him in the head … kicking him … beating the living [expletive] out of him,” the witness told police.

The witness said he tried to intervene but stopped when John and “Johnny Buck” said Saros was a child molester. Saros has a long criminal history that includes domestic assault, but no convictions for sexually abusing a child.

The attack lasted 60 to 90 seconds, the witness told police. The witness said he fell asleep and woke to find Saros lying on the floor with “blood everywhere.” He called police at 1:14 a.m. on Tuesday. Saros was pronounced dead at the scene.